BIOGRAPHY
Influenced by an exceptionally wide array of musical styles, Tony Pimentál‘s versatility has earned him a passport to cross a variety of musical borders. His expertise is vast and varies, encompassing that of Bass Player, Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Musical Director and Instructor.
A renowned bassist who’s performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl and festivals ranging from Lollapalooza to SXSW, Tony’s extensive musical past has included being a member of The Steve Vai Band, as well as holding down the low end for a broad range of award winning luminaries such as Monty Python’s Eric Idle, reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry, punk rock icon Wayne Kramer, guitarist Spencer Davis, violinist Lili Haydn, vocalist EG Daily, the illustrious Lionel Richie and the critically acclaimed Toledo Show, in which you can see him perform on spot dates at Harvelle’s Santa Monica and Long Beach. Additionally, Tony has also worked with J Dright from Digital Underground.
On camera performances include Lionel Richie (Cinderella), Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin (The Prayer), The Price is Right with Drew Carey (solo live bassist for ESP Guitars), The Toledo Show (True Jazz), Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python Live from DC, Steve Vai (White Nights Festival Live from Moscow, Russia), and multiple commercial spots on upright bass for John Hopkins Research backing the image of Louis Armstrong.
Tony’s bass playing and original composition can be heard in numerous commercials (Acura, Budweiser), film scores (Goodnight, Joseph Parker, True Jazz), television theme songs (The Gong Show, Graceland), series (Baby Blues, Brutally Normal), documentaries (Schooling Jewel, Corrections) and albums (Misfit’s Lullabye, Cinderella Slippers).
As Musical Director of Sony Columbia TriStar and Evolution Entertainment’s pilot of The Gong Show with Tom Arnold, Tony acted as bandleader of his self-titled six piece band, in addition to composing the theme song and incidental music. He was Musical Director for Graceland at IO West, which was also shot for a pilot for Comedy Central. Recently, Tony served as guest Musical Director, Band Leader and Bassist for Hollywood’s World Famous Improv Fresh Faces and Friends and was Resident Musical Director, Band Leader and Bassist for Bourbon & Brash at the W Hotel, Hollywood.
In additional to being a facility member at The Musicians Institute in Hollywood for the last 10 years, Tony endorses ESP (Bass) Guitars and serves as a bass clinician for the company (NAMM shows, ESP product demo videos). Tony has also acted as a Music Coach/Consultant on such shows as Vh1’s You Rock With.
With a Masters Certificate in Theory, Harmony and Ear Training and a Professional Certificate in Bass Guitar from Berklee College of Music (with honors), Tony composes from his studio Planet Hz and is a member of ASCAP.